Great Music
Jam til Impact | Tennessee, United States | 10/01/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I really wish this band had not faded into the ether. Their albums Programmed, Poison Seed, and Your Favorite God are masterpieces. I recommend getting them if you can find them."
Rhythm Heavy Queensryche/Alice in Chains-inspired Metal.
Joe White | Layton, Utah United States | 06/14/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Poison Seed is Lethal's third CD. Programmed, Lethal's first album, was a very good CD, sounding like it could have fit right in between Queensryche's The Warning and Rage for Order. Does Poison Seed carry on Lethal's successful homage to Queensryche? Or is it something else? Read on and find out.1. "Down" - This is a driving and pounding, steady tune. The rhythm is heavy and carries this song throughout. The vocals are excellent as always, going from harsh and aggressive to smooth and clear. The vocalist sounds like an angry Geoff Tate much of the time.
2. "Bitter Taste" - This song is a lot like "Down". It is rhythm driven, heavy and moves along at a somewhat slow pace. The thing that makes this song and other songs on the disc almost instantly catchy is Lethal's ability to come up with incredible rhythms that make excellent use of the guitar, bass and drums. Queensryche is evoked here but there are other influences present as well. This is one of the best songs on the CD.
3. "Born" - Unlike the first two songs on this disc, "Born" is more laid back. The lyrics are introspective and the music is very interesting. This is a good song that conjures up images of both Alice in Chains and Queensryche.
4. "Walking Wounded" - For the fourth song on the CD, Lethal again gives us a powerful, rhythm driven song. The song is a good one and may be the best on the album thus far.
5. "Poison Seed" - The most Queensryche-like tune yet on this release, "Poison Seed" is in the same vein as "Born" as it is somewhat relaxed and thoughtful. Excellent song!
6. "Watch Me Feed" - The heaviest song on Poison Seed, this is a driving, relentless tune While there is nothing really memorable about this song, it is still fairly solid even though the vocal melodies are somewhat annoying here and there.
7. "Meaning" - The intro here is superb as bass and guitar intertwine beautifully. This is a heavy, crunching song. But the vocal melodies (and I'm a vocal melody guy) never do quite take off.
8. "Now" - A quiet, easy-going song, "Now" contains some very strong Celtic touches throughout. This makes for an interesting song reminding me just a bit of Enya and Ayreon. An Alice in Chains feel is present as well.
9. "Your Favorite God" - A nice, groovy bass guitar rhythm starts this track off. This track has a harder, edgier Conception/Queensryche feel to it. The vocal melodies aren't as strong as they probably should be and this makes the song hard to listen to at first. But after a few spins in the old CD player, the song finally catches on. "Your Favorite God" is one of the best on the disc.
10. "Odd Shaped Pearl" - The last song on the album is a quiet one. "Odd Shaped Pearl" is a good instrumental that uses only classical instruments. It is a beautiful song and an odd way to end the album.It sounds like Queensryche isn't as big an influence on Lethal as they once were. Lethal's own style seems to be moving to the forefront on this disc and there is a definite Alice in Chains feel to many of the songs. The album falls short in some
areas but, in the final analysis, this is still a good disc. I like it a bit more than their debut, Programmed. Fans of Alice in Chains and Queensryche along with fans of rhythm heavy progressive/power metal bands like Conception will likely go for this disc. Good album!"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1